Rise
by writeturnlove
Summary: This started as a One Shot based on The Vampire Diaries, Season 7, Episode 5 - where Bonnie is seeking therapy, but it's not for depression: its for controlling her magic. She gets a pair of unexpected visitors and makes a decision that will either save the world, or destroy it.
1. Chapter 1

**Rise**

By V.C. Turner

Bonnie drew in a deep breath as the air in the room seeped into her lungs. It didn't cool the burning in her chest, but it tamped it down long enough to allow her to get through the group counseling session.

She hoped bearing her soul would help. She hoped hearing the stories of other wayward witches who had lost control of their powers would make her feel better about her own deadly actions.

It was only barely working.

She wiped the tears that fell from her eyes, looking at her hands as if she expected to see blood rather than the clear fluid that was supposed to be there.

She didn't want to be in that room with those people, but she told herself it was better this way.

The institute was no sanctuary. It was no prison. She wasn't hiding or punishing herself. She was keeping the world safe from the most dangerous person she'd met in years…. herself.

Lucy had told her of this place: hell, she'd been here a few times herself. Bennett witches have always been powerful. Sometimes that power can be all consuming. Sometimes that power can be intoxicating.

Bonnie had felt that.

She became drunk of off it more often that she'd liked over the past several months.

She remembered those sensations and the heat within her rose again. Her skin tingled. Her breathing picked up. It was calling to her: her magic. Her palms began to sweat. She needed to leave. NOW.

Thankfully, Dr. Morris dismissed the group before Bonnie lost complete control again. She ran to her room, sliding through the corridors until she came to her door, ripped it open, then slammed it just as hard. Her eyes closed, she kept them that way as she pressed herself against the door.

She needed the silence.

She needed the solitude.

She wouldn't get it.

She wasn't alone.

From across the room, she could hear him.

In and out.

In and out.

He breathed for her. Damn it. Her heart raced again.

She flicked on the light to notice him sitting by her window in a metal chair.

Enzo.

She should have been surprised that he'd found her, but in truth, she wasn't.

"What are you doing here?" she asked.

"It's bad out there love," he said, "You can't hide away in here forever. You know that."

"I know, but I can't care about the rest of the world right now. I have to take care of me. If I don't control it…" she began.

He cut off her words, standing up and walking toward her for a kiss. She stopped him, placing her hand against his chest.

"I can't, Enzo. I just can't," she told him.

Their tryst several months ago had been brief, but intense. She didn't love him and he was fully aware of that, yet that knowledge didn't stop him from wanting to change her mind. It didn't stop him from attempting to seduce her, knowing that her increase in power was often accompanied by an increase in her libido. He'd succeeded in quenching that thirst a few times, but touching her body and touching her heart were two different things.

Enzo and her magic didn't mix well. He did his best to help her control it, but, in truth, there was no one alive that could help her. She had no access to Grams. She had no means to contact Emily or Tessa.

"I understand love, but there's something you need to know," he told her, placing his hand over hers and pressing it against his heart.

"What's that?"

"The Phoenix Stone – it's missing," he said, casting his eyes low – the sullen expression overcoming his handsome face.

She stroked his cheek, knowing she would regret displaying the intimate gesture later. He turned his lips toward the inside of her wrist, and kissed it.

"We'll get it back before The Mercury Coven brings back anyone else," she assured him.

Enzo turned his face toward the window. He didn't bother hiding it.

"They already have," he told her.

She clutched his chin and turned his face back toward her so she could look into his eyes.

"Who?" she asked knowing the answer.

Enzo chose that moment to scoop her up into his arms, clutching her as if his life depended on it. It truth: it probably did.

She felt him inhale her scent and allowed the vampire to hold her and caress her lower back. She missed the contact. She missed being touched.

Yet it wasn't enough. It wasn't the same.

"It's going to be alright, love. I promise," he whispered in Bonnie's ear.

Then a voice spoke up from behind her and they both froze.

"Oh, I wouldn't go making promises I couldn't keep," a cocky, yet velvet voice rumbled from the doorway.

Bonnie stopped breathing, removing herself from Enzo's arms and turning around.

Kai Parker stood in her doorway, leaning against the frame and chewing on a newly purchased bag of M&Ms. He looked her up and down with the most possessive expression she'd ever seen.

Bonnie was locked in place. Her mouth had gone dry. Her body swarmed with heat. Damn the evil bastard for turning her on without even touching her.

Enzo walked around Bonnie, standing protectively in front of her.

"You need to get out of here, mate," Enzo warned.

Kai chuckled, insulted by the generic threat.

"What's with the accent?" he frowned, sizing up Enzo in less than three seconds, "That shit's gotta be fake?"

"Oh, trust me little man: nothing about me is fake," Enzo retorted.

Kai straightened his stance, his long black coat making him look taller than his 6-foot frame. His expression hardened.

"Trust me, Euro Trash, nothing about _me_ is little," he glared at Enzo.

Kai then tilted his head sideways to address Bonnie:

"But Bon-Bon already knows that. Don't you…. Love?"

Enzo's eyes turned red, his vampire veins snaking around his eyes as he lunged at Kai, pinning him to the wall with enough force to make a man-sized indentation in the drywall.

Kai simply laughed at his adversary, placing his hands on Enzo's forearms and squeezing, as bones began to crack under the pressure.

"You know, I really do like this coat. It would be a shame to get blood all over it, so I'm just going to give you a warning rather than rip out your fucking heart: Stay away from Bonnie or I will end you no matter how nice my outfit is," he said in a voice that shook the room.

Bonnie had spent so much time combating the magic surging within her, but she was fresh out of options. She needed to touch it. She needed to make it her own; to tame it before she succumbed to it.

She held up her hand, using magic to force them apart. She shook from the inside out, but she was determined to keep them from killing one another.

The heat of her magic stayed in her belly as she silently pleaded with it to obey. The light bulbs in the room shattered, one by one. The florescent lights in the hallway flickered. The bed shook. Bonnie still controlled it the best she could.

"Boys," she said calmly, "Don't make me put you in time out."

Enzo appeared frightened, but stood still.

Kai smiled at her with admiration and crossed the room to take the hand that was raised. He grabbed it and kissed her palm.

"Good job, beautiful," he cooed, stroking her short hair. His touch made her shake again for an entirely different reason.

"What makes you think I won't set you on fire?" she threatened, but knew he didn't believe it.

"Well, don't we usually get naked for that?" he smirked.

Her cheeks flooded with color, making her cinnamon brown skin turn fuchsia.

She wanted to back away from him – maybe slap him, but she couldn't. The spell he'd cast on her had nothing to do with magic. His blue-grey eyes hypnotized her. His smile weakened her inhibitions. She was tired of fighting it; fighting her magic, his magic, and the bond they shared.

Bonnie looked up in his eyes.

"Kai, I need to be here," she told him.

He leaned into her ear, letting his lips brush her earlobe.

"No, you need to be with me," he said quietly, his voice genuinely soothing and frustratingly erotic.

Enzo spoke, bringing Bonnie out of Kai's trance.

"The last time she went with you, her magic nearly killed her," Enzo asserted.

Kai rolled his eyes.

"God, are you still here, Euro?"

"The name's, Enzo, friend."

"I'm not your fucking friend," Kai spat back.

"No, but I'm Bonnie's friend," Enzo added, "Of course, we've been a bit more than that, right Bonnie?"

"Ouch," Kai mocked, clutching his chest, "Was that supposed to hurt, because - it didn't."

Kai walked around Bonnie, but still held onto her hand when he began speaking again.

"See, you're a symptom. I'm the cure," Kai stated.

"Cure? You think you can fix her?" asked Enzo.

"She's not broken," Kai said.

Silence fell between them as they stared each other down.

Bonnie couldn't help but be fascinated by their exchange. They both wanted her. They both would kill to protect her. It was a thrill. It was erotic. It was magic.

The decision made itself.

She strolled over to her dresser, stuffing her things into a red duffel bag. Once she was done, she stood in the doorway and faced both Kai and Enzo.

She refused to fight it anymore.

"Well?" she said to both of them, "You coming or what?"

Kai and Enzo looked at each other with a puzzled look on their faces.

"Which one?" they asked in unison.

Bonnie smiled.

"Both!" she said, and then headed out the door.

Kai and Enzo looked at each other for a moment as they followed her, realizing that whatever decision they would make needed to happen in the next few seconds.

"That's bloody insane," Enzo stated.

Kai watched Bonnie walk in front of them in appreciation.

"True. Bloody and insane," Kai said, smacking Enzo hard on the back, "Sounds fun."


	2. Chapter 2

**Rise**

Chapter 2

By V. C. Turner

Enzo wiped the girl's blood off on his right sleeve then offered the waitress's neck to Kai, who shook his head in near disgust before turning his back on the vampire.

"What the hell is your problem mate?" Enzo asked, "Don't tell me you prefer the blood bags to tapping straight from the vein."

"I don't like feeding when she's around," Kai stated, looking around to ensure no witnesses had taken note of Enzo's afternoon snack.

Enzo huffed, fed the waitress his blood and compelled her to forget the entire incident. The strawberry-blonde woman stumbled off toward the back of the restaurant and whipped out a cigarette once she reached her destination.

He turned back to Kai.

"Why not? She knows what you are," Enzo said, "What is that phrase you're so fond of saying to Bonnie: 'Embrace what you are."

"I want her to embrace it, you dick," Kai told him as they began to walk back to the car.

"Sounds like you're ashamed of yourself," Enzo goaded, smirking behind Kai's back.

Kai turned to answer him, raising his hand into a fist and starting to choke Enzo with magic.

"Look, _Mate_. I know who I am. I know what I am. I just don't want her smelling blood on me. Do you understand, or do I have to get out my douche dictionary and translate it for you?"

Enzo held up his hand in surrender, swearing under his breath once air had filled his lungs again.

They finally reached the car.

Bonnie was still in the restroom. Kai looked around for trouble, but didn't find it. From a distance, through the walls of brick and concrete and a two-way street, he could hear the water running, as well as her mumbles about there not being enough room in this stupid place to really get the job done right.

Kai smirked when he heard her voice. She was feisty; just the way he liked her. She seemed confident, but still guarded about her ability to control her magic. He knew she wanted to stay at the institute a little longer, but he knew the longer she was there, the harder it would be for her to reconnect with her magic. It could overwhelm her. It could kill her. He'd die before he'd let that happen.

Enzo leaned against the trunk of the mid-sized sedan he'd rented. He'd regained his composure from Kai's choking.

"She didn't have a problem with smelling blood on me these past few months," Enzo noted, not really facing Kai, but still wanting a reaction nonetheless.

"You know, when you talk, it's funny – all I can hear is: blah, blah, blah, in a British accident," Kai said, rolling his eyes.

They waited for Bonnie to finish washing up in the gas station bathroom across the street.

The creak of the door opening across the street was almost deafening to vampire ears. It forced both Enzo and Kai to turn in the direction of the sound.

Bonnie emerged from the restroom. She'd changed from the frumpy grey pajama shirt and pajama shorts she'd worn at the institute. Instead, she wore a form fitting pink v-neck top, a pair of dark blue jean shorts, and a set of small hiking boots.  
Once she reached them, she noted that neither man spoke up immediately. They just stared at her, trying to figure out how to compliment her without earning a slap in their collective faces for being too crude with their observations.

"One of you – say something," she said, smiling and enjoying that she'd made two usually chatty men speechless.

Enzo elbowed Kai in the ribs.

Kai punched Enzo in the shoulder.

"Wow, Love you, look…" Enzo began.

"Gorgeous," Kai finished.

She smiled, then reached up and patted each on the cheek, then wiped the pretend drool from their faces.

"Good boys," she said, smirking.

She made her way around to the driver's side door and leaned against it, waiting for whomever had the keys.

Enzo stepped forward, reaching into his pocket and handing them to her.

"All yours," he said.

Bonnie looked from Kai to Enzo and smiled again. The power that surged through her had nothing to do with magic.

"Oh, I know," referring to both the men in her new entourage.

Kai moved in to stand on the other side of her. He ran the back of his hand down her right arm. It had been too long since she'd felt his lips on hers. She looked into his eyes and answered his silent question with a slight nod.

Without hesitation, he leaned down and kissed her softly; much more sweetly than she'd expected. Kai's kisses were usually more assertive, almost aggressive. She enjoyed that. Whenever he claimed her with his mouth, she reveled in it.

This kiss was a little different, but no less possessive. He paid special attention to each lip; sucking and licking one in at a time while he gently held onto the back of her neck to hold her in place. She missed him the second he reluctantly pulled away from her. Feeling weightless, she settled back onto her heels.

He backed away, giving her a wink, before turning to Enzo.

"Shotgun," Kai told him, then trotted to passenger door.

Enzo shook his head.

"God – I wish I had one," Enzo retorted.

Enzo began to back away, heading for the back door. Before Bonnie allowed him to retreat, she grabbed his hand to hold him in place.

"Wait," she told him.

He paused, surprised at her gesture.

Bonnie stood up on her tiptoes, placing a kiss on his lips.

Enzo held still for a second, frustrated at the prospect of tasting another man on the woman he desired, but the truth was, he could only taste her sweetness. It was breathtaking. He leaned forward, kissing her back and holding onto her waist while stifling his own unexpected moan.

He released her, then turned to see if Kai was watching them. He was, but there was no jealousy or anger on his face. Enzo didn't recognize the expression, but he didn't fear it – at least not yet.

The sun had begun to set and Bonnie knew they had another five hours before they reached the border of Mystic Falls. She punched in their location into the navigation application on her phone to find the nearest motel.

She was about to announce suggestions, when the wind picked up slightly. Her body began to tingle, but not from the cold.

Both Enzo and Kai stopped moving for a moment. They'd heard something coming and soon flanked her for protection.

"What – What is it?" she asked to no one in particular.

"Company," Kai told her.

Within seconds, four male vampires strolled out of the woods by the side of the road. Each took position to surround their prey - Bonnie, Kai and Enzo.

"Well, mate, looks like you're going to get that pretty little coat bloody after all," Enzo announced.

Kai chuckled softly. With one swift, graceful effort, he pulled off his coat, tossing it in the window of the sedan.

"Not today," Kai smiled at him.

The vampires approached, each clad in black from head to toe with blood red armbands on their right arms; unofficially announcing themselves as the immortal bodyguards of the Mercury Coven.

"Why the hell are they out this far?" Bonnie asked, her stance stiffening as she waited for the fight.

"They're everywhere these days, love," Enzo answered, "Shall we – On three: One, T—."

Before Enzo could finish, Kai leaped at the vampire closest to him. He landed on his opponent, pinning him to the ground and ripping the vampire's heart out in one movement.

"Show off," Enzo sneered, and then used his vamp speed to launch at the second vampire – a brute of a man that stood close to 7 feet tall.

Enzo performed a quick tuck and roll maneuver, grabbing a fallen branch by the road and piercing the vampire's heart.

Kai and Enzo stood back to back, waiting for the second rush.

Bonnie fearlessly walked up to her would-be protectors; her magic nearly glowing off her in a faint hue of gold glistening off her brown skin.

"Amateurs," she chided.

She stood in front of them, rather than behind. She wanted the fight.

"What's this, the little kitten has decided to come out and play, too" snickered a blonde-haired vampire with a scar above his left eyebrow.

His partner, smaller vamp with slicked back black hair stood nearby.

Bonnie took a deep breath, holding up her left hand, magically lifting the blonde up in the air. His breathing hitched in his throat as he gasped. The second vampire launched at her, but before Kai or Enzo could stop him, Bonnie held up her other hand, lifting the second vampire into the air as well. She held them both still. As the blonde vampire continued losing all of the air in his lungs, the other's feet began to catch fire – an intense flame the crept up his legs at an agonizing pace.

"You see the thing is," she said menacingly, "Men like to think that just because I have a pussy - it means I must be one."

She continued to walk toward the choking blonde haired vampire, speaking again.

"So why don't you tell me? Kitten or killer?" she said, her voice ice cold.

Enzo and Kai watched with amazement, but neither made a move to help her since she appeared not to need it.

The blonde shook violently, his body soon ejecting the heart from his chest where it fell to the ground just before his body did the same.

The final vampire's feet continued to burn. He started to scream, his cries echoed loudly enough for passersby to hear.

Bonnie walked up to him, pressing her index finger to her lips suggesting he remain quiet.

A couple casually out of the nearby diner and stood in awe at the burning man floating in the restaurant parking lot.

Kai noticed them, quickly turning to Enzo.

"Kill them or compel them. I don't care which. Just fucking do it now," Kai demanded.

Enzo didn't argue.

He raced to the couple, grabbing them both by the throat and pinning them to the dumpster out back. He compelled them both to forget what they'd seen, and then knocked them out by banging their heads together.

Meanwhile, Bonnie continued to give her opponent a slow burn as Kai walked up to her, touching her shoulder gently.

"Bon?" he asked softly, as if about to question her about what movie she wanted to see rather than whether or not she had reined in her magic.

"I'm fine," she said to Kai, then turned to the floating vampire, "Now, you can burn fast, or slow. I don't care. Just tell me how you found us, and I'll have mercy on you."

The vampire pointed to the necklace she was wearing: a gift her cousin Lucy had given her the day Bonnie left for the institute. It was a silver chain with a gold plated letter "B" dangling from it.

Bonnie looked down and the emeralds adorning the outside of the letter glowed in the fading light of day.

She immediately ripped off the necklace, squeezing it hard in her left hand. She looked up at the burning vampire, igniting the rest of this body, letting it fall into the nearby ditch. She then tossed the necklace on top of his remains, and quickly turned them both to ash.

Her breathing picked up again, and she began to worry if she could stop. Kai reached for her, touching her skin, but the brief contact scorched his fingers, and he yanked them back.

"Bonnie, listen to me!" he called to her.

Bonnie heard his voice, but it sounded as if it were coming from the other side of the fog she'd found herself trapped inside. She wanted to reach out for him, but she feared she'd set him on fire too.

"Stay back. I don't want to hurt you," she warned, closing her eyes and speaking to her magic again.

She chanted to herself.

 _Custodite Tranquilla! Custodite Tranquilla! Custodite Tranquilla!_

Enzo rushed to her side, but ran into the magical barrier she'd silently erected around herself.

 _Custodite Tranquilla! Custodite Tranquilla! Custodite Tranquilla!_

Bonnie's breathing slowed to a normal pace. She turned around and looked from Kai to Enzo. A weak smile played across her face.

"See, all groovy," she said unconvincingly, then walked back to the car.

Shaky hands reached for the door. She pulled in her fingers to stop the vibrations, and then turned to Enzo.

"Can you drive for a while?" she asked.

"Sure," he told her, kissing her forehead.

Bonnie climbed into the backseat, covering herself with Kai's coat.

Enzo motioned for Kai to get into the backseat with her. Kai responded with a nod, then sat in the back next to Bonnie. He drew her into his arms, stroking her hair and whispering in her ear.

They drove to the nearest hotel, checking in to a Best Western Premier a few miles down the road.

Once inside their room, Bonnie felt the weight of the day begin to lift from her shoulders. She was thankful she hadn't lost control, but she did unintentionally burn Kai and the guilt of it pained her even though he'd healed quickly.

"I'm sorry," she said to him once they were settled on the edge of the bed.

"Don't worry about it," he insisted, "You did fine…. _But_ – If you want to make it up me, I have all kinds of suggestions."

She smiled, kissing him on the cheek.

"Maybe later," she told him, patting his knee, "Right now, I need to take a real shower."

He followed her toward the door of the spacious bathroom.

"I can help with that," Kai flirted, leaning against the door with a knee-weakening wink.

Bonnie laughed, considering his offer, but knowing that she wouldn't get any thinking done if she'd taken him up on it. She needed to focus and she was certain inviting Kai in the shower with her would be an incredibly pleasant distraction.

She walked up to him, tracing her finger from his neck, down his chest to the top of his jeans. She wanted him. He wanted her, but she needed to wait until she'd calmed down from the fight.

"Stop tempting me, Kai," she told him, "I don't want to burn you again."

He tilted his head down, running his lips across the base of her neck.

"I can't think of a better way to die," he whispered.

Her nerve endings came alive under his touch as he reached beneath her shirt and caressed her bare skin.

 _Custodite Tranquilla!_ She told herself, knowing she should push him away, but sensing that her magic needed a different release.

Kai dragged his lips up from her neck, encircling her left earlobe. He held it in place with his teeth, lightly tickling it with his tongue.

"Don't make me beg," he whispered, his words instantly turning her on even more than she already had been.

Her skin hummed. Her nipples stood so erect against his chest she felt like they'd pierce his skin if she didn't calm down.

She peered past her shoulder and noticed Enzo purposely looking away from her interlude with Kai. What she felt for him wasn't pity.

It was a foreign and forbidden sensation that forced her to confront something deep and dark within herself.

It took most of her strength to pull out of Kai's arms, but she did. She backed three feet away from him, noting the pouty look on his face.

The look changed to lust when she removed her top and tossed it at his feet. Bonnie laid down the sexual gauntlet and Kai was only too happy to pick it up. He ripped off his t-shirt and began pulling off his jeans. He hurriedly yanked them over the boots he'd forgotten to remove first. He then ripped those off too, soon standing naked before her, his erect manhood instinctively pointing at its next destination.

"Come here," she told him.

There was no reason to use vamp speed to reach her, but he refused to waste another second, so he did. He unzipped her shorts, removing them and her panties in one swift motion. He then scooped her up, wrapping her legs around his waist while he flicked her bra open and slung it across the room.

Kai captured Bonnie's lips with his, giving her that possessive kiss she desperately wanted from the moment she saw him standing in her doorway at the institute.

Her body came alive and she worried she'd set them both on fire if she didn't take control.

After all: she had a request to make of him.

She broke the kiss long enough to speak softly into his ear.

"Can he?" she asked.

Kai, knowing what she wanted, frowned slightly but remained severely turned on by the sexy woman attached to him.

"Don't tell me I'm not enough for you anymore," he said, nibbling at her neck again, "That'd break my heart."

She shook her head.

"You're plenty. More than I could ever want, but you each give me something different and right now I need you both. I want to try it. Just this once. We don't have to do it again if you don't like it," she requested.

Kai nodded, knowing that he couldn't say no to her, and that it would make her happy – at least for tonight.

Kai reluctantly released his grip on her, then turned on the shower, testing the temperature.

Bonnie walked toward the bathroom doorway, calling Enzo's name. He stood in front of her, cautiously. He waited for someone to make a move because he sure as hell didn't expect the night to end that way.

She reached for his pants, slowly unbuttoning them, then pulling the belt from the loops as the fabric pooled at his feet. He stepped out of them, kicking them aside.

"Shirt," was all she said to him.

Enzo gave her a quick smile, the pulled the shirt over his head while she stroked his bare chest. He then removed his boxer shorts, standing proudly naked in front of her – waiting for her next request.

Bonnie grabbed his hand, leading him toward the shower. The three stood awkwardly at one another, waiting…

Bonnie made the first move, sliding into the large shower and soaking herself under the hot stream. Kai soon followed, standing in front her as she lathered herself.

Enzo followed, standing behind Bonnie. He grabbed the liquid soap and began rubbing warming it on his hands before lathering Bonnie's shoulders and back.

"I don't have to touch him, do I?" Kai asked, trying not to be too distracted by the soapy water running down her bare breasts. His mouth watered, but he needed to concentrate on her words – at least for the moment.

"No. You'll be too busy touching me," she noted.

She pulled him in for a kiss, and he obliged her, kissing her back with a fierceness that he hoped wouldn't frighten or hurt her.

It didn't.

She reveled in their collective touches. She noticed that each had no trouble finding their favorite spot on her to massage, kiss or lick.

Her magic soared. Her libido hummed.

This was heaven, with the naughtiness of Hell mixed in with it.

Bonnie noticed Kai's vampire veins showing, his sexual hunger had finally stopped masking his vampire urges.

"You need to feed," Bonnie told him. She offered her neck, but Kai shook his head.

"I can't," he said panting, but his stubborn fangs broke through the restraint of his gums.

Enzo, sensing Kai's dilemma, tilted Bonnie's head to one side, piercing her skin with his own fangs and drawing in her blood, allowing a trail of it to run down her chest and circle her wet right nipple.

She tasted different this time. She was sweeter than he'd ever noticed before. He sucked in a little harder, drawing out enough blood that his head began to swim. She was making him dizzy. His inhibitions fell away just before he spoke.

"Feed, brother," he said to Kai.

Kai banged his fist against the tile. He wanted to fight it: The hunger for blood. The hunger for _her_ blood, but he couldn't. He dared not try.

Kai reached for Bonnie, pulling her into his arms.

"I love you and I'm sorry," he whispered softly.

Kai tilted Bonnie's head to the opposite side of where Enzo drank from her. He pierced her skin with his fangs and her blood flooded his mouth. Nothing in his life had tasted that good. It was as if her magic had somehow flavored her blood, but he worried taking too much might kill her.

Bonnie, as if reading his mind, forced him to look into her eyes.

"I need you to do this, for me. There's too just much…. too much power inside me," she insisted.

He sank his teeth again, sucking on her neck slowly with one hand on her waist.

The water rained on the three of them as Enzo steadied himself and drank from the other side of Bonnie's neck.

She moaned uncontrollably at the dual sensation of being caressed and bitten at the same time by two men she desperately desired. Her orgasm built slowly as she writhed between.

Her magic surged, then settled – balanced evenly between them.

Secured in their arms, for the first time, Bonnie was happy.

Bonnie was free.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rise**

Chapter 3

By V.C. Turner

Bonnie's eyes flickered open as the sun peeked through the curtains of her hotel room. Still disoriented, she noticed that her face was pressed against a warm, cream-colored chest. His soft breathing soothed her and almost rocked her back to sleep. Instinctively, she wrapped her right arm around his chest and squeezed him. A pair of lips kissed her forehead as she closed her eyes again. It was the closest to heaven she'd ever felt.

She wanted nothing more than to lie in his arms until the world ended.

Then a warm exhale tickled the sensitive skin between her shoulder blades as an arm pulled her backward - from one warm chest to another.

Until that moment, she hadn't fully realized it. The night before hadn't been a fantasy. She had actually slept with both Kai _and_ Enzo.

Her heart began to beat furiously. She wasn't afraid of them. She was afraid of herself. Her behavior was completely out of character.

She could blame it on the intoxication of her magic. She could tell herself that after killing the Mercury Vampires, she was overwhelmed by the seduction of her magic; that she truly hadn't settled down from the fight.

But that would have been a lie.

While the magic made her powerful, it didn't impair her judgment. She knew exactly what she was doing when she invited both men into her shower and eventually her bed.

She never expected they would agree to it.

She expected a snide comment from one and a disgusted comment from the other.

She received neither.

Instead, she'd spent the evening enjoying every moment of the attention they'd given her.

It was selfish, she knew, but she'd never been allowed to be selfish in all her life. She'd sacrificed. She'd lost so much. How could it be wrong for her to allow herself one night of sin?

Kai turned to face her, his eyes opening slowly. He frowned for a moment, and then mouthed the words "Come here," to her.

Bonnie immediately slid from Enzo's grasp and nestled herself in Kai's arms. His touch was surprisingly tender. She was worried he'd be angry with her, but if he had been, he hid it well.

Enzo rolled off the bed, grabbed some clothing and changed before heading outside to leave Bonnie and Kai alone.

She was thankful for the privacy, but she didn't know how to address Kai, or how he would feel about her.

Bonnie looked up into his half-open eyes and finally found her voice.

"Are you okay?" she asked him in a meek voice.

"I'm fine," he said, giving her what had to be the shortest response the history of their relationship. His brief response meant he was anything but "fine."

Bonnie bit her lip and began to turn away from him when he pulled her back to his chest.

"I'm sorry about last night," she added.

"I don't need you to be sorry," he said, "I need you to be happy. Just pissed that I'm not enough anymore, that's all."

She turned his head so she could look him in the eyes.

"You're enough," she attempted to assure him.

"If that's true, explain last night to me," Kai insisted, attempting and failing to keep his jaw from clenching while he waited for her to speak again.

"I don't know how to explain last night in a way that's going to make sense. It wasn't just about my magic. It was about feeling so overwhelmed by everything around me that I needed a release. I needed to misbehave," she told him.

Kai paused before speaking again. It was a long, pregnant pause that was very much unlike the boisterous man she knew all too well. He looked away from her for a moment, biting his lip as if to level his emotions before talking again. Kai rarely considered his words before speaking. She considered it an annoying, yet appealing characteristic of his. She appreciated his honesty, even if it was raw and brutal.

"Do you love him?" he winced as the words left his mouth.

"Like a good friend, yes," she told him. It was true. What she felt for Enzo was friendship and sexual attraction. He'd been there for her when she was alone, but it wasn't the same as being with Kai. What she felt for Kai was stronger and deeper.

Kai shook his head, regret crossing over his face.

"I knew I should have taken you with me to Portland," he told her, squeezing her tightly.

Bonnie understood Kai's reasons for leaving her behind. Gemini Coven members were not fond of outsiders, despite her Bennett name and the shared history of their covens. Bonnie's loyalties couldn't be trusted in their eyes. They hated that she'd befriended vampires, even risked her life to help them on countless occasions. It would be hard to accept Kai back into the fold now that he'd become a heretic.

They agreed search for ways to suppress his vampire nature as long as Kai relinquished his title as coven leader.

So he did.

For months, they sought out spells, experimented, vervained him, drained him, and used psychological techniques in order to turn off his thirst.

It didn't work. They finally placed him in temporary exile until they could figure out a way to suppress his hunger.

"Kai, it's you," she insisted, "It has always been you. It will always be you. Understand?"

He nodded, but she knew he only half-believed her.

He needed proof.

Bonnie didn't ask him what he needed to be convinced.

She sat up in bed, looking down at him and allowing the thin pale blue bed sheet fall from her tiny frame.

"Bon," he started, gazing at her with lust. His restraint was about to break.

Bonnie didn't let him finish. Her plan had nothing to do with sex. It had to do with trust and love.

She placed her hands on his chest and chanted quietly as a distinct reddish glow emanated beneath her outstretched hands.

Kai's breathing picked up as his vampire veins started to show, then withdrew almost immediately.

Bonnie continued to chant as the lights began flickering on and off throughout the room.

She pushed, pulled and intertwined their magic. Power surged between them as the bed began to vibrate.

Kai's eyes widened as he clasped her hands and shook his head. He'd finally figured out what she was trying to do and he worried it would kill her if she kept going.

"Bonnie, stop!" he pleaded, "You can't."

She could hear him speaking, but his voice sounded distant. She was focused on her magic; channeling each of their powers and connecting them. Touching her magic had been dangerous lately. Purposely combining it with Kai's could be deadly. She didn't care.

Blood sharing was personal among vampires. Magic sharing was just as intimate between witches.

Bonnie began to feel a sweet intoxication again – the familiar sensation that she could not control several months earlier and which sent into the institute.

It was different this time, though. She tingled all over, her arousal soon scenting the air.

Kai felt it too. Drunk and aroused from the sensations of their magic, he pulled her on top of him, seating her on his already rigid length as they both groaned. The intimacy of their physical and magical connection drowned out the rest of the world.

She dug her fingernails into his chest as she rode him slowly, leaving a trail of bright red marks that immediately disappeared after she'd left them.

Kai seized hold of her waist, pulling her down into a fierce kiss as he plunged deeper inside of her. His right hand dug into her dangling tresses while his left clasped her right hip.

He wanted more of everything: her tongue, her lips, her touch, her sweet nectar, and her magic connecting with his and surging between them both… He wanted and needed all of it.

Wild with lust, he flipped them over so he was on top.

Kai continued to slide in and out, as each of her moans accompanied the whispers of his name.

Neither of them could contain it much longer. They exploded into one another, panting loudly.

"I love you, Kai," she told him, exhausted and battling sleep again, "Only this. Only with you."

Bonnie fell back asleep with his name on her lips.

"I love you too, my wild little Bonster," he said.

Kai kissed her, then took a shower before heading out to find food. Room service just wouldn't be good enough after such a thoroughly tasty morning treat.

Still reeling from the intensity of their lovemaking, Kai grabbed a bottle of liquor from the mini fridge and headed outside.

Enzo walked down toward the hotel pool, yet he could still hear them. He moved to the edge of the parking lot. No luck. Even without vampire hearing, he was certain the entire hotel knew exactly what Kai and Bonnie were doing.

Every groan echoed. Every thrust vibrated. She was coming undone at Kai's hands. Not his.

The dark haired bastard eventually emerged from the hotel room as Enzo made his way back. Kai looked happy.

It was annoying.

"A bit early in the morning to be drinking, isn't it mate?" Enzo asked, leaning against the iron railing outside the room.

Kai only barely glanced at Enzo before taking another swig of the liquor and answering him.

"I'm just trying to wash away the image of your hairy ass from my brain," Kai joked with only a minimal amount of humor in his voice.

Enzo nodded, understanding that regardless of what happened the night before, he was still the third wheel. Bonnie would never love him the way she loved Kai. She may enjoy his company, but he wasn't her first choice.

It still didn't stop him from wanting to torment the competition.

"Well, that's what a real man's ass looks like, boy wonder," Enzo teased, "I'm certain Bonnie enjoys it quite a bit."

Kai took the liquor bottle, smashed it against the railing, and placed the jagged bottleneck against Enzo's throat. His sinister smirk actually caused Enzo to feel a justifiable amount of fear.

"It would be easy, you know, killing you," Kai began, as he pressed the glass deeper into Enzo's throat. The blood trickled down his neck.

Kai's vampire strength, coupled with his witch powers, made him more lethal than any other enemy the elder vampire had ever faced. Enzo held still, waiting for an opportunity to strike. It never came.

"You know a psychopath is?" Kai began, pressing the glass further into Enzo's vein, "I'll tell you: Psychopaths have no feeling, no remorse. Most of them are prone to violence. They also have a this sense of superiority, which, I have to tell you, that in my case, really is justified."

"You think that killing me is going to make things easier for you?" Enzo choked out.

"I spent 22 years being treated like shit by my family then 18 years in a prison world where I tried to kill myself on a daily basis. Believe me, not a damn thing in my life has been easy," Kai told him, finally releasing Enzo from his grasp and discarding the broken bottle in a nearby trashcan.

Enzo planned to snap Kai's neck the moment was free, but he didn't do it.

"I get it, Kai," Enzo said.

"What the hell do you think you get about me?" Kai asked.

"The torture. The solitude. You see, for decades I was imprisoned; locked away in a damned underground cell by this Augustine Society. These people found new and interesting ways to experiment on and brutalize me," Enzo told him.

Kai's expression softened; but still held no empathy.

Enzo continued his story.

"So then one day, this beautiful woman – Maggie – showed up. She was an observer. She took notes. She talked to me. She was the only one that seemed to care. I fell in love with her. She may have even loved me back. Then I lost her," he said.

Kai leaned against the wall outside of their hotel room. The rage had dissipated.

"She just left you there?" Kai asked, seeming interested.

"I compelled her to get the hell away from that bloody place, because she was in danger. She died a few years later," Enzo said.

"How," Kai asked.

"Damon killed her," Enzo answered, the bitterness still lacing his voice.

"Damon…" Kai began, "Let me guess: you forgave him, just like everyone else does? Like Bonnie has after everything the bastard has done to her over the years."

"I've made peace with him the best I could. Never thought I could love another woman until Bon-," said Enzo.

"Not what I want to hear," Kai cut him off, clenching his jaw.

"Fair enough," Enzo told him, "So, what's our next move? Has our lovely companion said anything?"

Kai smirked, but tried to restrain his pride.

"She's a little too tired to make plans right now," Kai said.

"No one likes a bragger, Malachai," Enzo teased.

"Well, when you have so much to brag about…," Kai added.

He waited a few more minutes before speaking.

"You know, I've decided not to kill you Enzo."

Enzo placed his hand over his heart.

"I'm so touched. So tell me young one: Who _do_ you want to kill?" Enzo asked.

"Oh, I have a list," Kai stated.

"I figured you did, and I'm sure it starts with Mercury," he responded.

"They're at the top of it. They're up to something that could kill Bonnie and I'm not going to let that happen," Kai insisted.

"Wow, something we can agree on," Enzo said.

"Oh, I think we can agree on one more," Kai said, looking into Enzo's eyes for the first time.

Enzo considered Kai's suggestion. He knew what Kai was asking and it was almost as if he wanted approval.

"He needs to die, Enzo," Kai told him.

Enzo thought about it for a moment. He nodded, realizing the truth of it.

"I know. I know. You're right," Enzo agreed, "Damon needs to die."


End file.
